The PC Home Arcade

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Today’s video games can be tremendously realistic, thanks to stunning graphics and surround sound audio. With the volume up and the video big, hunting demons in Doom 3 or racing laps in Gran Turismo 4 can seem vivid enough to raise the hair on your neck and draw sweat on your palms.

But no matter how convincing the game, the playtime experience also depends on those real-world contact points  where we put our hands and plant our seats. After all, hunching over a keyboard or thumbing a controller on the floor is neither comfortable nor as exciting as being in a real cockpit.

Fortunately, dedicated players looking for a game room upgrade have some options. Performance chairs and special add-on devices for bringing an extra bit of realism to games now come in a variety of flavors, like sit-in F1-styled cockpits, cocoon-like chairs that immerse players in sound and vibration, and game inputs use real sports motions to play. These tricked-out game accessories come sized for most wallets, from modest chairs little more than a beanbag to concept centers for players.

GAMER THRONES

For gaming getaways, the Oculas will shut you in like no other. Designed by Lee McCormack, a British designer of yachts and racecars, the $45,000 personal entertainment booth sold by cataloger Hammacher Schlemmer is a bean-shaped pod housing a massage chair, flat-panel video screen, choice of PC or Mac, and surround sound speakers. Best of all, once inside, no one can hear you scream  the pod seals up with a soundproof door that swoops upward with wings like a DeLorean.

But let’s face it, not everyone can justify spending a luxury car’s price on a gadget that won’t leave the living room, nor should they have to, when there are many more everyday options to choose from. The Ultimate Game Chair, for example, is a $500 reclining leather chair and matching ottoman that allows you to hear and feel the in-game action. It may look like living room furniture at a distance, but look closer: There are surround sound speakers mounted in the headrest and 12 vibration motors in the seat. Two armrest-mounted game pads split controls between the hands and splay out at an adjustable angle for speedy fingering.

Gluttons for punishment who want to feel every gunshot blast and quarterback sack might be more interested in the < a href=http://www.thearcadestation.com/gaming_chair_arcade_station.html">Messina GSS Arcade Station. Rather than being a rumble seat, the $849 chair uses speakers built for players to feel, not hear. The chair uses a built-in silent subwoofer that pounds players’ bodies in unison with in-game hits and explosions. Sound options are limited on the GSS – there are no audio speakers, just two jacks underneath the seat for headphones. A less expensive option for adding physical feedback to your games is the ButtKicker a $150 device that straps onto ordinary chairs to shake them up under fire.

TAKING THE DRIVER’S SEAT

Racing simulators beg to be played behind the wheel, which is no big secret  there are many steering column and foot pedal accessories already available that avoid driving by keyboard. But mounting a computer steering wheel on a table can result in a driving posture more Aunt Bea than Dale Earnhardt. To get into a better position, players should check out specialty racing cockpits that give a real NASCAR feel.

The ultimate upgrade for Gran Tourismo or Need for Speed might be a custom-built cockpit. Serious Racing Serious Racing constructs handmade racing shells that stand as the Ferraris of driving controllers. The pods position the player low to the ground in a fiberglass F1 cockpit that can be custom-designed with a choice of decals.

Inside is a realistic steering column with force feedback controls, F1 shifters, foot controls, a rumble seat and a PlayStation 2 or PC  and even mounting options for five-point seatbelts. The racer doesn’t come cheap: Prices begin at $3,750, and the Pro version, with extras like Dolby 5.1 surround sound, an instrument dash panel and exterior lighting, fetches $6,950 and up.

The Movetech GTC Gran Turismo Cockpit, an Italian-made driving seat, offers a similar setup with a more welcoming price  about $500 for the system before adding a steering wheel and pedals, which are sold separately. The device comes with an adjustable reclining seat to fit all sorts of drivers, and when game time’s done, the unit can convert into a TV table and chair. Another driving seat, the < a href="http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1859100,00.asp?kc= PCYH103129TX1BTT00586">Hotseat Racer TRX ($589), is a surround-sound-enhanced racing chair built on a welded steel chassis with room to mount a steering wheel and pedal hardware. Enthusiasts willing to spend the cash for a steering upgrade should look to controllers like the Thomas Superwheel, a steering wheel and pedal console starting at $290 designed for realistic handling and feedback.

SIMPLE SITTERS

Having the right place to sit can make a big difference to how comfortable you are at the controls  especially if you’re embarking on a marathon gaming session. But getting the right game seat doesn’t have to be a bank-breaking exercise. Even if you aren’t looking for big audio feel or body-shaking motors, a few crisp Jacksons can still buy a seat built for action.

Target sells the Video Rocker, a $40 foam-cushioned chair that’s a small step from being a beanbag, but offers better lower back support and reclines at an angle suited for gamers. Another, the $45 Step 2 Rock ‘N Fold, is a molded plastic rocking chair that’s low to the ground and easy to slide around and pack away.

OUT OF THE SEAT ACTION

Not every game should be played sitting down. Luckily, there are controller options for those on-your-feet games as well.

For example, despite their popularity, rounds on the virtual links force players to click buttons and spin mice to imitate a golf swing. Wouldn’t time be better spent perfecting the real technique? The $190 Qmotions GolfT Indoor Golf Simulator lets golfers play games by smacking a tethered ball with their own clubs.

Whether winding up for a 300 yard drive or chipping from the traps, the interface tracks shots on games like Tiger Woods PGA Tour and MS Links, and plots out swing characteristics with detailed graphs so golfers can work on improving their hooks and slices. Qmotions also recently released a $150 baseball controller for EA Sports MVP Baseball that comes with a bat, bat sleeve and base plate. Players take real swings over the special base that determines bunts from grand slams, and use foot buttons to control their runners.

Dance Dance Revolution, the on-your-feet dancing game, also has an improved controller for bringing real arcade feel to the living room. TheGamesis Multi-Platform i-Techno Professional Super Arcade GS-9200 is a close imitator of the original version, with an all-metal base, pressure-sensitive pads and even a guard rail that players can practice on before showing off at the local game parlor.

BIG SEAT  LITTLE SCREEN?

Of course, there’s a hidden cost associated with upgrading your video game environment. Though they add comfort, better sound and sensation to game time, most of these products lack one very important sensory upgrade: better screens. While that 15-inch TV may have been fine for playing with a handheld controller feet from the screen, games might start to appear tiny once peeked at from behind a giant media chair. To size games right, be prepared to shell out for a bigger monitor to keep things in perspective. Now that’s entertainment.

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